Secrets of Sellbot Headquarters
by Ashify
Summary: Flippy has surrendered. Toontown has been given to the Cogs. On September 19, the Cogs marched around Toontown, permanently saddening every toon in sight. Willow was the most creative with her hiding place and has become the only survivor—or so she thinks...
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

An unpleasant, yet familiar sight met Willow Petalmarble's eyes as she slowly pulled open the heavy door to Daisy Gardens' main Toon Headquarters. The building was empty, as she had expected. She bit her lip and dropped her arm, letting the door swing shut behind her. _Why,_ she had been asking herself repeatedly, _did Flippy had to give in? We weren't finished, and now we never will be._

Letting out a shaky sigh, she forced herself to move. In short, trembling steps, the cat made her way down the stairs and stopped in front of the large, four-toon help desk in the middle of the room. Reluctantly, Willow turned and sat down on top of the desk, gripping the wood and swinging her legs over it. She pushed herself off of the desk with her hands and stood up. Now facing away from the door, she reached back and pulled her arms free of the straps on her backpack and let it fall onto the desk. This was the backpack Willow was given years ago after defeating 320 level nine Cogs. What a dreadful task that was, and what a miserable time she had had completing it...

She turned around once more, unzipped the pack, and pulled out her very last gag: a birthday cake, which she had earned back when she had been working in the Brrrgh. The memory made Willow shudder; not out of disgust, but out of sad reminiscence, longing, and regret. She suddenly noticed the heat of the candles on her skin and realized she still had a mission to complete. She leaned forward and carefully set the cake down on the desk before she turned around and dropped into a crouching position. Slowly raising a hand, she squinted at the buttons on the control panel on the side of the pole. Many of them were tempting—namely "Cream Pie", "Back Massage" and "Instant Flattery"—but there was no time for those. She spotted the one that read "Lockdown" and gingerly pressed it. At once, the merry melody that had been playing in the building was silenced. The lights ceased, leaving the dim candles of the birthday cake to guide Willow's travels.

She got to her feet, quick but unenthusiastic, and turned around. She zipped her backpack closed and pushed her arms through the straps, pulling the pack back on. Placing her hands on either side of the cake, she lifted it and quickly raised a knee. Leaving the cake to balance beneath her knee and her left hand, she let go with her right hand and placed it underneath the cake. She did the same with her left hand and decided that with her trusty backpack handy and the cake secure in her hands, it was safe to continue. She propped her leg up on the desk and used it to step up and over the desk. Proud of this maneuver, she trudged up the stairs and tugged the bottom of the door with her blue sneaker, opening it. She wasted no time passing through.

Daisy Gardens' playground was as silent and motionless as its main building, and with thick, light gray clouds sitting above, even the natural sky was dull. Not a butterfly was in sight, and the only sounds to be heard were Willow's footsteps, heartbeat, and breathing. She carefully and slowly began to walk towards the tunnel to Oak Street. As she passed through the tunnel, she realized how lucky she was to have discovered the cake hiding in her backpack. It was strong enough to fight off any lower level Cogs she came across on her journey—though it wouldn't be of any help during the job itself—and it was a nice source of light. Lost in her thoughts, she made her way down the deserted street and soon found herself standing directly in front of the entrance to Sellbot Headquarters. She let out a nervous breath—not _too_ deep, as she didn't want to extinguish the candles—and entered.


	2. Chapter One

_ICY GIRL1234: Sure, I'll include them! They'll appear in the next chapter. By the way, thanks! I'm glad you like it._

**Chapter One**

Sellbot Headquarters was not a place Willow had visited often, but she had clear memories of it. She had earned her aoogah here, and it had soon become one of her favorite gags. She recalled the victory dance; it was awkward celebrating in such a gloomy area. The same bleak clouds were visible, and nearly everything inside was gray. The doors were gray, the statues were gray—even the ground she stood on was gray. However, one thing was different: there were no Cogs roaming around, and Willow had a hunch about where they were. She wandered further inside, avoiding the large crater in the middle.

She climbed up a ramp and reached a line of gray doors. Cautiously, Willow opened one of the doors and walked into yet another empty room: the room in which boarding groups were formed before fighting the VP. This time, she was going solo—something she never thought she would do, especially without a Cog suit. She descended the stairs, crossed the floor, and ascended the next set of stairs. Without hesitation, she stepped onto the elevator and sat down, setting the birthday cake next to her. She had only just realized how exhausted her arms were. She pulled her knees in, wrapped her arms around them, and let her head fall back against the elevator wall. "We're off to see the VP, the horrible VP of Sales..." Willow continued to hum the tune weakly as the elevator doors closed. She felt the elevator begin to rise.

After stretching out her arms, she stood up and picked up the cake again, which felt fifty times heavier than it was before. By now, though she was trying to hide it, she was practically drowning in anxiety. "Strong," she whispered to herself. "Just be strong. There's no turning back now..."

As if on cue, the doors slid open to reveal the dreary area known as Sellbot Towers. The Vice President was there, just like she had expected, deep in conversation with a Two-Face. He was wearing his usual plaid, violet shirt—the definition of ugly, if you asked Willow—and sitting on his uncomfortable-looking gear. As Willow stepped out, the Sellbot boss turned to see her. His eyes widened. "A-a toon," he gasped. His undercarriage dropped open, and the Two-Face walked inside.

"But of course." Willow's voice was back, stronger this time. "Did you not expect your plan to be flawed? Did you really believe that you buckets of bolts could rid the town of all of toonkind in three hours?" She resisted the urge to let out a scornful laugh, but she rolled her eyes as she stepped off of the elevator and advanced towards him. _I hope you do realize what an idiotic idea that was,_ she thought bitterly. The Cogs' stupidity was crucial to the success of her own plan.

The VP studied her for a minute before saying, "You are alone."

_Well, duh._ "Who else would be with me?" Willow asked.

The VP ignored this question. "I believe you and I have some unfinished business to attend to-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Willow interrupted, stepping back in fright. She could see where this was going. "I just dropped by to wish you a happy birthday..." She held out the cake for him to see. "Here's your present."

"It's not my birthday," the VP hissed. "Only toons celebrate such foolish holidays. You cannot trick me!" His voice was rising rapidly, more and more anger in each syllable. Willow bit her lip, shrinking slightly as the VP started to advance toward her. He raised a mechanical arm, ready to strike. At this point, one thing was running through Willow's mind.

_Surrender to sadness or join the Cogs?_

She had one second to make the decision.

_Neither._


End file.
